As part of their annual December fundraiser, the students hope to help their peers with significant cognitive delays, speech delays, physical impairments and severe multiple disabilities attending the Kauri Sue Hamilton School as well as grant a wish for a child through Make-a-Wish Utah. 

Their goal is more than $78,000, said senior Megan Tew, studentbody officer of service.

“I thought it would be a good idea to support Kauri Sue Hamilton students for True Blue because a lot of Bingham siblings go to the school,” she said. “It’s a very local cause, which we like.”

Earlier in the school year, student leaders met with Kauri Sue Hamilton Principal Courtney Titus, who gave them a tour of the school. That’s when Tew met a student named Jackson.

“He has Down syndrome. He gave us all a hug and it made me emotional. I knew then I wanted to support them,” she said.

The group returned on Halloween.

“They showed us their Halloween costumes and we showed them ours and we just talked; it was really cool,” Tew said.

Bingham students also are continuing to support a Make-a-Wish student.

“Our student’s name is Henry; he’s 6 years old and has cancer,” she said. 

Tew learned after falling at recess, a mass was revealed in Henry’s shin. It was initially thought to be growing pains, but it quickly turned serious, leading to surgery and confirmation of cancer. 

Over 30 weeks, Henry endured 14 rounds of chemotherapy and a major surgery to remove his tumor and part of his lower leg. Now eight months post-surgery, Henry is using crutches, attending school and preparing for another surgery to receive a robot leg that will allow him to live an active, full life, she said.

Their fundraising will help Henry go to Disney World.

“Henry loves Star Wars, but he also likes baseball, Lego, Minecraft and other things so we thought it would be great at our opening assembly to give him a basket full of some of his favorite things,” Tew said. “We’re excited to keep our tradition with Make-a-Wish. We like seeing who the money is going to and how it will help others. Both of these do that.”

Leading the efforts are the nine SBOs and 12 other student government leaders. 

There are multiple ways the community can support Bingham students to benefit Kauri Sue Hamilton School in addition to contacting the school office with a straight donation or asking for students to perform jobs, such as shoveling snow, vacuuming or wrapping presents in exchange for a contribution to the fundraiser.

Community members can support a series of events at Bingham High, 2160 South Jordan Parkway.

At 7 p.m., Dec. 3, they’ll host club basketball, where two people from each club and sport will play against each other in a basketball game. Patrons donate to have opposing players play with a handicap, such as wearing oven mitts or with their shoes tied together.

At 7 p.m., Dec. 4, students are slated to perform in a talent show, with a donation for tickets.

A community Zumbathon will be held at 6 p.m., Dec. 6 in the dance room, with a donation to participate.

At 5 p.m., Dec. 10, a Christmas carnival and Christmas market will be set up inside the school. Carnival activities tickets and the market booth fee rental will go toward students’ fundraising. Cookies and hot chocolate will be for sale for those who plan to attend the basketball game that evening.

The traditional Mr. True Blue pageant featuring senior boys showcasing their talents is set for 7 p.m., Dec. 11, with a donation for tickets. 

“That’s a super fun and popular event,” Tew said.

At 6 p.m., Dec. 12, the improv team is hosting a “pay to play,” in the Copper Pit, where “you can pay to spray them with silly string or do fun things, with all the donations going to True Blue,” Tew said.

At 7 p.m., Dec. 16-18 at the Candlelight Service Christmas program, students will host a silent auction in the main foyer to give patrons a chance to bid on items such as a date night of movie tickets, a spa night, a fitness package, cooking supplies and more baskets.

During the month, students will compete against each other per grade level in Penny Wars, where collected coins build up their amount and paper currency deducts from the total.

“We don’t just want to help Kauri Sue Hamilton students with this fundraiser, we want to be there for them. In May, Kauri Sue Hamilton students usually put on a play and each student has a part. We’d like to volunteer to help with it or at least, be there and watch it. It’s going to be so cool,” Tew said.

Student tickets to the Bingham Ball on Dec. 14 are earmarked to help Henry with his Make-a-Wish grant, she said.

“Last year, we hit $78,000 for Nixon Strong; we’d love to be able to help these students even more,” Tew said. 

According to former history teacher Scott Crump, Sub-for-Santa Christmas fundraising events have been a part of Bingham High activities going back to at least the 1920s and 1930s when the difficult economic times were associated with those years. 

Calling the event True Blue started in December 2013 when Mohan Sudabattula, the studentbody vice president of service, came up with the idea to transform the traditional Sub-for-Santa fundraising to a whole month of fundraising events, Crump said.

That first year of True Blue raised $87,287.44, which he said was a record for Bingham High at the time. 

“True Blue makes Christmas more focused on others,” Tew said. “It’s rewarding to see the effect we’re having on people, not just giving them money, but impacting people’s lives. It’s really touching.”